


Sweet Refrain

by negaii



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Dragons, F/F, Fantasy AU, Fluff, Friendship, Genderbending, Hidden Relationship (but not really), Jealousy, Misunderstandings, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-20
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-16 10:10:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8098123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/negaii/pseuds/negaii
Summary: It’s not like they actively hide it, but Masami wonders if they're really that subtle. Five times their friends think Satomi may be dating someone else and one time Satomi sets it right.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [helenmaldon](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=helenmaldon).



> This was written for the 2016 Arashi Exchange for helenmaldon. This was actually my first genderbend fic for this fandom and I had a lot of fun writing it.

“You’re staring again.”

“No I’m not.”

“Maa-chan, you’re staring, _again_.”

Masami huffed and looked away from the two figures in the distance to glare at her best friend beside her. Kazue sent her a smug look and flipped her hair behind her shoulder with a flick of her hand. “And how would you know that?” Masami asked in annoyance. She loved her friend, but sometimes the other woman frustrated her.

“Because you’re staring, and you make this stupid face when you look at her,” Kazue said matter-of-factly with a smug look on her face.

“I do not make a stupid face!” Masami cried and quickly glanced over to the other side of the grounds to see if she was heard. Kazue giggled and patted her friend on the head.

“Sure, sure.”

Masami pouted and turned her gaze back to the two women in the distance. Satomi was on feeding duty with Jun today. Masami watched with reverence as the tanned woman laughed at Sho-chan, a new addition to their sanctuary and their resident baby dragon, as he tried to eat the carrots Satomi was feeding him and failing miserably. On the other side of her, Jun was busy gathering the raw meat for the other dragons. When Jun was complaining about the amount of meat that Yuki had bought, Satomi had laughed at something Jun grumbled to her, and turned her gaze over to the two friends. Masami blushed when Satomi gave the pair a small wave. Kazue giggled when Masami shyly lifted her hand up to return it.

Despite Kazue’s teasing, there was something that Masami had not gotten around to telling her friend. What she didn’t know was that Masami had been seeing Satomi for quite a while now— they were nearing their fifth month. It had been a pretty uneventful get together, but Masami had absolutely no complaints. Sometimes she couldn’t even believe that they were together, and that she and Satomi were actually in a pretty satisfying and stable relationship— everything just sailed smoothly; they hardly ever argued. Masami wondered if that was because they were both such simple and laid-back people.

Masami had approached the smaller woman one evening when Satomi was locking up the grounds for the day. Usually it was Yuki’s job, but the two friends had swapped shifts for the day because the other woman had to attend a family dinner that evening. Yuki had told her when Masami saw her heading out of the house dressed in a red kimono.

Needless to say, Masami had been incredibly surprised when Satomi had agreed on going out for dinner with her that evening. She stayed inside the house most of the time on her days off, so Masami had been really happy when she had accepted her invitation.

One dinner become two, and two became three, and soon enough, Masami and Satomi had been going out almost every time they had a free evening together. They went from Aiba-chan and Ohno-chan to Masami-chan and Satomi-chan. It had been equally embarrassing and exhilarating for both of them.

Masami loved the feeling of Satomi’s name on her tongue. During their first few days of the switch to given names, Masami would say her girlfriend’s name in bed like a prayer, feeling delirious with glee at being able to call her that.

After two months of dating, both of them were sure that their friends would comment on it. But to their surprise, their friends hadn’t said anything about it or given any indication that they even knew that they were together. Now, five months after the fact, their friends still didn’t have a clue.

Masami decided to bring it up with her girlfriend a few days after her conversation with Kazue about the staring incident. Masami wondered out loud if their friends even knew that they were dating ( _dating!_ ) each other now. Satomi made a noise of confusion.

“I mean, it is obvious… right?” Masami asked the other woman when they had decided to head to the local park after dinner. They were both sitting underneath a tree and Satomi was lying down on Masami’s lap. She gently stroked her fingers through the her girlfriend’s hair. It wasn’t as long or luscious as Jun’s, nor was it as straight as Kazue’s, but Satomi’s hair was always soft to the touch, and Masami loved it.

“Hm?” Satomi grunted below her and turned her head more the side so that Masami could get more access to the back of her head. “Obvious of what?”

“That we’re together. Dating.” Masami didn't know if it was a good or bad thing that their friends had no idea. Did that mean they weren't compatible enough in their eyes?

Satomi hummed and let out a small noise of pleasure when Masami caressed her scalp. “I think so,” she mumbled against Masami’s thigh. “I don’t see how they don’t.”

“But Kazue hasn’t even approached me about it. And that girl usually knows everything!” Masami exclaimed in confusion. “Satomi-chan, I don’t think our friends know we’re together.”

“Does it matter?” Satomi asked as she flipped over to look up at Masami. Masami frowned and looked up at the night sky.

“I… well…” Masami didn't _exactly_ care, but… “I don’t like keeping secrets from them, especially Kazue-chan.”

“Technically, it’s not a secret if we’re not actually trying to make it one in the first place,” Satomi said and reached up to pat her girlfriend’s cheek. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure? We don’t have to tell them?” Masami asked worriedly. Satomi shook her head.

“I think it’s fine, Masami-chan. They’ll know when they know.”

“I guess you’re right,” Masami sighed before flashing a grin at her. Satomi returned her grin; Masami’s grins were always so infectious.

“What?”

“Do you want to help me exercise the dragons tomorrow? I’m taking them out for a fly in the afternoon.” Masami shyly averted her gaze away.

Satomi beamed and reached up to pull Masami down by the hair so that they were only a breath apart. “I’ll meet you there,” she murmured quietly as she looked at Masami’s lips.

Masami smiled and pulled the woman even closer so that their lips were just barely touching. “Great!” she exclaimed happily before capturing Satomi’s lips with her own.

They started off slow, taking their time to explore. Satomi hummed happily as she allowed Masami to take control of the kiss. Masami kissed her like it was the only thing she lived for. She loved the feel of Satomi in her arms, the warmth that radiated from her, and the sweet taste of cake that she had eaten after dinner. Moments later, Satomi started pushing back against the kiss, sucking on Masami’s tongue as she tried trying to gain control. Masami happily let her girlfriend take the lead. If anyone thought that Satomi was completely submissive, they were incredibly wrong. Masami loved it when Satomi got like this and moaned when she started nibbling at her lower lips.

“I think we should… stop… before we get too carried away,” Masami gasped when they pulled apart for air.

Satomi smirked and curled her finger around locks of Masami’s dark brown hair. “Do you really want to?” she asked huskily.

“No,” Masami gasped when she felt Satomi lick at her collarbones.

They didn’t speak much after that.

I.

“Do you think Oh-chan is dating J?” Kazue asked out of the blue one evening. Masami snapped her gaze to her best friend in surprise. They were both in the kitchen and Masami was preparing dinner. Kazue was there to leech food off her (again).

“What? Why?” Where did this even come from, Masami wondered.

Kazue shrugged and looked at the two women out in the field from her seat at the dining table. “I don’t know. J always seems happy when she’s around Oh-chan.”

Masami frowned and looked down at the uncooked rice in front of her. “Isn’t MatsuJun straight?” She was pretty sure she was, but it was hard to tell since Jun hardly ever opened up about her past relationships since she moved in with them at the sanctuary two years ago.

Kazue snorted and rolled her eyes. “She is as straight as a circle. That girl literally oozes rainbow pheromones, Masami-chan. She’s gay. Very gay.” Kazue emphasized the last part with a slap on the table.

Masami stared at her friend in astonishment. “Really? I never knew that!”

Her friend sent her a look of bemusement. “She told me she had a girlfriend in university for three years before breaking up with her because she was moving away for work.”

Masami frowned and wiped the bottom of the rice pot with a towel. “She didn’t want to do the long distance thing then?” While Masami and Jun were good friends, getting along pretty well since Jun moved in a couple of years ago, Jun was still pretty private about her life. She hadn't known that Jun liked women as well, having thought the other woman was completely straight. But Masami had never been good at determining these things, people’s sexuality that is; Kazue was much better than her at it.

Kazue shrugged and sipped her glass of water as she rested her head on the crook of her elbow at the table. “Who knows? I don’t know what goes on in that woman’s life unless she tells me.”

“You must know a lot then, if you know about her love life in university,” Masami teased and placed the rice pot in the rice cooker and closed the lid. She fiddled with the features for a bit before pressing the Start button on the machine and walked over to join her friend at the dining table.

“We were drunk, and she was telling me her life story,” Kazue deadpanned, but Masami could see a tiny hint of pink on her cheeks. Kazue had always been closer to the other woman, but Masami knew that even then, Jun never really said much about her love life. The woman’s lips were completely sealed. The only person that Jun shared everything with was with her best friend, Satomi, Masami’s girlfriend. The fact that Kazue seemed to know was… interesting.

Masami watched as her friend nibbled on the plate of biscuits in front of her. “You’re going to ruin your appetite for dinner,” she scolded. Kazue shrugged and popped another biscuit in her mouth. Masami sighed and stared out the window. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Relax, Masami-chan. I’ll still eat your cooking!”

Masami snorted. “You eat like a bird, Kazue.”

“You’re not my mother!”

“No.” Masami shook her head and gently flicked her friend on the forehead with her fingers. “But I am your friend, and you’re skinny enough as it is.”

Kazue made a face and grumbled about _nosy best friends trying to guilt people about their eating habits_. Masami turned away with a grin on her face.

 

“Have you and MatsuJun ever dated?” Masami blurted out the next day when they went shopping for groceries together. Satomi paused and sent her girlfriend a look of bewilderment.

“What?”

Masami blushed and grabbed the shopping basket from her girlfriend’s hand. “Ah, it’s nothing! Ignore me! I was just thinking out loud. Hahaha!” She felt her face get redder as she walked down the aisle. _Stupid! Stupid! Why did I ask her that?!_ Just as she was about to walk to the next aisle, she felt a hand clasp around her wrist, pulling her backwards. Masami gulped before turning around to look at Satomi.

Satomi looked at her tiredly with a frown on her face. “Why?”

Masami bit her lips, wondering how she could get herself out of this situation and shook her head. “It’s nothing, Satomi-chan, don’t mind me. Say, did you want tuna tomorrow for dinner? I think there’s a—”

“Masami-chan,” Satomi said sternly with her fingers still clasped around her wrist. Masami sighed and fiddled with the locks of her hair. “Why?” Satomi asked again, gently this time.

Masami internally debated with herself on whether or not she should tell Satomi about what Kazue had said yesterday. She looked at Satomi, who had nothing but a patient expression on her face. She sighed again, wishing she could turn back time and never say a word about the subject. But it was too late, and Satomi was stubborn. That, Masami knew quite well.

“It’s… it’s Kazue… she was just wondering if the two of you were dating that’s all,” Masami finally mumbled and stared at Satomi’s long fingers from where she had her wrist in a tight hold. “And I guess I was just… thinking stupid things.” She snapped her gaze back up to the older woman, realizing what she had just implied and panicked. “Not that I think you’re cheating on me or anything!” She exclaimed in horror, “I don’t think that Satomi-chan!”

Satomi laughed and pulled Masami close and wrapped her arms around the panicking woman. “Masami-chan, breathe.” Masami grumbled but wrapped her free arm around her girlfriend's smaller frame. Satomi smelled like paint and lavender. _Has she been painting again?_ Masami thought. “I didn't think that you did.”

“I still feel terrible for implying that, Satomi-chan.” She pouted. She felt Satomi shake her head against the fabric of her blouse.

“No, it's okay. I didn't take it that way.”

When they pulled apart, Satomi was still holding onto one of her hands. Masami blushed as she looked around to see if other people noticed them. Masami had no problem with letting people know about her love for Satomi in public, but she was still a little shy with public displays of affection. Satomi, on the other hand, didn't care.

“To set the record straight: no, I have never dated or have ever thought about dating Jun. We’re just really good friends,” Satomi replied calmly as they started walking down the aisle together again, hand in hand.

Masami squeezed her hand lightly around Satomi’s and smiled when she felt the older girl do the same. “I didn't think so,” she said quietly as they stopped in front of the display of sauces. “I don't know why I felt… well… jealous?”

Satomi smiled and Masami wanted to bend down and kiss that sleepy smile off her girlfriend’s face.

“Jun and I wouldn't work as a couple,” Satomi said with a shake of her head. That piqued Masami’s interest.

“Really? Why do you say that?” she asked in curiousity. She thought they would make a rather compatible pair since they had always gotten along so well. And they were best friends. She and Kazue were best friends, and their first kiss had been with each other, but there was nothing more. Kazue had said that it was weird to think of Masami in more than a platonic fashion—Masami agreed.

Satomi shrugged and grabbed a bottle of sesame oil and placed it in the basket next to the bag of lettuce. “We just wouldn't. Jun wants things one way and I want things another way. We’re too stubborn to give in to the other person, and I only see her like my sister anyway. Besides,” she said looking up at Masami with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, “there's someone that Jun likes.” Then she turned around with a smirk and quickly walked away leaving Masami standing there staring after her in astonishment.

“Wait! What?” Masami exclaimed, running to catch up to her. “Who?!”

“Not telling!” Satomi said with a giggle, her eyes still twinkling. Masami pouted. Even if they were lovers, she knew that Satomi would never tell someone's secret just like that. Still, a sense of relief washed over her now that she knew Satomi and Jun would never work out.

Masami huffed and stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend. Satomi was still giggling to herself when Masami reached out for her hand.

They didn't let go until they reached home.

 II.

“Hey, do you think Satomi and Ninomiya are dating?” Jun asked when they were cleaning up the dragon’s nest one afternoon. Masami paused and wiped the sweat off her brow. She sent Jun a confused look. Where did this come from?

“What do you mean?” Satomi and Kazue? _Well, they are close friends…_ Masami thought with a tiny pang of jealousy. Jun probably knew a lot of Satomi’s secrets. Masami knew it was a stupid reason to be jealous of. Still, she couldn’t help it.

“When I talk to Satomi these days, she seems to be more lost in thought than usual. I thought maybe it’s because she’s with Kazue-chan all the time now,” Jun explained as she shovelled the droppings onto their pile.

 _Ah._ Masami thought wryly. Masami knew she had no reason to be worried over Kazue at all. Kazue was actually trying to see if the Satomi was seeing anyone for… _her._ Her best friend knew she had feelings for the older woman, but what Kazue still didn’t know was that Masami was already dating her, despite her attempts to try to make it obvious they were. Kazue had been hanging out with Satomi more these days to see if she could help her best friend out in getting the older woman’s attention.

“I think they’re just friends, MatsuJun,” Masami said cheerfully before going back to shovelling. Ugh, the poop smelled awful. Just what had her friends been feeding the dragons this week? _Can't complain. Dragon manure makes great fertilizer_ she thought with a grimace. _And it pays the bills._

“You think?” Jun asked as she poked at their pile with her shovel, testing its stability. “Ninomiya is always hanging around her,” she grumbled. Masami nodded.

“Yup! And Kazue hasn't told me she liked anyone, and she generally tells me these things.”

Jun pursed her lips and paused in her task again. “She tells you those things?”

“Well yeah, we’re best friends. And she thinks she's good at hiding it, but I always know!” Masami giggled. Kazue was a good actress, but when it came to her best friend and really big secrets, the other woman was an open book. Even if she thought she could hide it from her, Masami knew nearly everything Kazue tried to keep hidden.

“And she doesn't like anyone?” Jun asked as she shuffled closer to Masami.

Masami paused and furrowed her brows as she tried to remember if there was any incident that indicated that Kazue might have a crush on anybody. “I… actually, I haven't been noticing much lately. She acts the same as always. Why?” She asked Jun.

Jun shook her head and immediately went back to shovelling. “It's nothing.”

Masami blinked owlishly at her before shrugging and turning back to her work.

“So you really don't think there's something going on between Satomi and Ninomiya?” Jun asked again, a few minutes later after they finished their task of collecting the poop. Masami shook her head and threw some water at the floor to clean the rest of the dirt off. Her nose scrunched up in disgust as the stench hit her nose. Beside her, Jun was wearing a mask that she had procured out of nowhere. Masami had forgotten hers.

“Nope. That, I know for sure.” _Because she's with me._ When they finished the cleaning, Masami turned to her friend. “When we finish with this,” she motioned to the pile of poop they collected in the large bin to be placed in bags later, “we need to give Sho-chan a bath.”

Jun nodded and grimaced as the water from earlier trickled under her boots. “Okay, but let me get changed before we do that. I smell like dragon shit.”

 

“MatsuJun thinks you and Kazue are dating,” Masami revealed later that evening when they were both relaxing out on the front porch of the house.

Satomi paused midway in her conquest of the watermelon in her hands and let out a loud, “Eh?!”

Masami laughed and let herself fall backwards on the porch. She turned to look at her girlfriend who was still looking bewildered at the sudden revelation. “Yeah, she asked me when we were gathering the dragon poop today. It smelled horrible! What did Yuki-chan order this week?!” She complained loudly.

Satomi gaped at her in astonishment before throwing her head back with a laugh. Masami smiled as she watched her girlfriend fall into a fit of giggles, clutching onto her slice of watermelon.

“W-what? Jun thought that? When you were cleaning up shit?” Satomi asked, still giggling as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She turned her entire body around so that she was facing Masami.

Masami nodded. “She said that you and Kazue are hanging around each other a lot.”

Satomi frowned and bit into her watermelon. “That's true. She has been hanging around me a lot lately. Not that I mind.”

Masami giggled. “That was my fault.”

“Hm?”

Masami sat up and scooted over to her girlfriend. Resting her head against her knees, she explained sheepishly, “Kazue knows I like you, so she's trying to see if you feel the same.”

Satomi blinked twice before nodding in understanding. “Ah, I see.”

“Sorry about that,” Masami said shyly.

Satomi shook her head. “Don't be. I think it's kind of cute!”

Masami sighed and reached out to touch Satomi’s leg. “I'll tell her to stop. She can be pretty persistent.”

“Hmmm…” Satomi hummed before setting down the watermelon and pulling Masami in for a kiss. Masami let out a tiny squeak of surprise before relaxing into the kiss. She felt Satomi’s hand in her hair as she scratched lightly at her scalp. Masami shivered and allowed Satomi to gain access to her mouth as she parted her lips to allow her in.

“We’re not very subtle,” Masami murmured when they parted shortly after. Their lips were still brushing against each other as they panted slightly in each other’s mouths. Satomi lowered her hand to caress the back of Masami’s neck.

“If that happens it happens,” she simply said before capturing her mouth again. Masami closed her eyes and let herself get lost in Satomi once more.

Later, Masami promised that she would tell Kazue to stop pestering her girlfriend. Satomi shrugged and rested her head against the taller girl’s shoulder.

“If you want to. She keeps touching my butt for some reason.”

 III.

“Okay, so now that we've established that J and Oh-chan aren't together, I think she may have the hots for Yuki-chan.”

Kazue stormed into Masami’s bedroom with her serious face on, and holding a box of pocky in one hand. Masami noted that it was the chocolate flavour. Kazue threw herself on her friend’s bed face down for a few seconds before looking up at her and continued, “Or it can be the other way around: Yuki-chan seems very friendly with Oh-chan.”

“And you think this because?” Masami now found the whole thing amusing. Their friends were just assuming that Satomi liked almost every person she interacted with, and no one even had an inkling that Satomi was actually with her— even when they acted pretty affectionate with each other in front of the others. _Guess we’re still too subtle_ Masami thought to herself wryly.

“Simple—Yuki-chan is exceptionally kind to Oh-chan.”

“She's kind to everyone,” Masami pointed out. Yuki was very kind, even if she wasn't the greatest cook to the point that Masami avoided giving her feeding shifts, and she had a short temper. But she was amiable all the same, and their baby dragon, Sho-chan, adored her.

Kazue made an annoyed noise. “And they’re always laughing together.”

Masami sent her friend an amused look. “Isn't that a bit of a reach?”

Kazue scowled at her. “Shut up, Masami. They're always giggling about something.”

“Hmmm…” She leaned back on her pillows and crossed her arms behind her head. “Are you sure they're not laughing at you?” She teased.

Kazue gave her a glare and moved to sit next to her friend, squishing herself against her. Masami patted her arm in an apologetic manner (she wasn’t though).

“I think Yuki-chan and Sa—Oh-chan just get along together very well.” She had almost called her girlfriend by her given name, and she hoped Kazue wouldn't hear her mistake.

Fortunately, the other woman was too busy scowling at her box of pocky and cursing Masami for even daring to suggest that they were laughing at her.

“I don't think so,” Kazue said in an offhanded manner, “I think they may like each other.”

Masami sent her a look of exasperation. “If you say so.”

 

“Kazue thinks Yuki-chan likes you,” Masami told her girlfriend the next morning when they were both heading over to the nest to let the dragons out for the day. She twirled the set of keys in her hands and watched as her girlfriend paused in her whistling to give her an incredulous expression.

Satomi shook her head in resignation. “Where did they even get this idea now?”

Masami chuckled and wrapped an arm around the smaller girl’s waist. “Beats me. They all have overactive imaginations.”

“Yuki-chan and I are just friends,” she said in exasperation and leaned into her girlfriend’s warmth. It was a chilly morning due to the mixture of the dragons’ magic that caused drastic fluctuations in temperature, and Satomi hated the cold. Masami was always warm and Satomi tried to grab onto that as much as she could.

“That's what I told Kazue too, but she's still isn't sure.”

“Yuki-chan has a boyfriend.”

“She… does?” Satomi curled a lock of Masami’s brown hair around her fingers. _She really likes doing that_ Masami noted.

“Yeah, they've been seeing each other for a few months now. Yuki-chan didn't want to say anything because she wasn't sure if it would last,” Satomi explained.

Masami blinked owlishly and looked out at the field in front of them. “Wow. I had no idea.”

“Yuki-chan is good at keeping secrets.”

“She is,” Masami agreed.

When they reached the gates, Satomi covered the lock with her hand. Masami turned to her in confusion.

“Let's go flying today,” Satomi suggested and took the keys from her lover’s hands.

Masami giggled and shoved her hands in her pockets. “And where did you want to go?”

“Sammi really likes the water. We can go to the nearby lake.” Satomi unlocked the gate, pulling on the chains to let it fall in her hands. Masami looked past the gates and saw Sho-chan and Nino look over at them in curiosity.

Satomi waved at Sammi, a female water dragon with gold eyes and silver scales that glistened in the sunlight. The dragon gave a roar in greeting before quickly slithering over to her and pushing her head under Satomi’s hand for a petting.

“Why don't we take Fumio with us too?” Satomi asked, snuggling up to the dragon, who was in the process of wrapping its long body around her. Masami grinned at them before looking around for her dragon.

Technically, none of them owned the dragons as they were all wild beasts. Masami had opened her sanctuary for the dragons a few years ago by accident. She had found a large skinny green dragon injured on her home grounds and had rushed to heal it. Kazue, who had also been living with her at the time, had known more about dragons than she did, and was the driving force of the healing process.

Despite Kazue being the one to help get the dragon moving again, the dragon had taken a huge liking to Masami. She had given the dragon an old nickname she had had in highschool (courtesy of Kazue), Fumio.

Fumio had refused to leave. Well, okay, the dragon had left for a few days, and Masami had been a little sad then, despite Kazue’s lectures about _how dragons were wild creatures and that you can't actually own a dragon, even if they act attached to you, Masami-chan._ Masami had known, but it still hurt when the dragon vanished without saying good bye.

It wasn't until three days later that Fumio came back, and he had brought a friend (Kazue named the gold one, Nino, after herself). When Kazue realized that the dragons weren't going to leave after three days, she had dragged the other girl into the house and said with a sigh, “Now what?”

All in all, Masami thought that everything turned out okay. Eventually more dragons began coming to Masami’s house, and she began to build a large gate around her house and a large stable for the dragons to sleep in. She officially opened up the sanctuary with the help of Kazue, and Masami earned money by selling magic fertilizer and dragon tears, which was renowned for its healing properties. Fumio and Nino provided them with their income, but every so often, a wild dragon would fly by and amuse itself with the luxuries that Masami and Kazue had placed for their dragon friends and left behind a gift. These gifts were often shedded skin (perfect for clothing) or their tears.

Eventually, they realized that the two of them couldn't possibly run the sanctuary themselves, and Masami began looking for another employee. Yuki was the first person to join them after advertising the job for two months.

Sakurai Yuki had recently quit her job at her accounting firm and had wanted to do something different for a change. Masami had liked her right away, despite Kazue’s protests of Yuki not having any dragon caring experience.

“She can learn!” Masami had exclaimed cheerfully as they watched the woman’s retreating figure leave the gates of the sanctuary from their living room window. Kazue sent her a look of bemusement.

“Masami, the woman has zero—and I mean _zero_ —experience dealing with dragons, much less magical creatures. She only knows how to crunch numbers and do paperwork.” Kazue pointed at the Yuki’s resume where it had listed her most recent job title as _Senior Manager._

Masami shrugged and pulled out her laptop. “We all have to start somewhere, Kazue-chan. And I felt bad for her. She really looked like she wanted the job. We should give her a chance.” She opened up a new document and typed, _Job Offer._

Kazue sighed and threw the resume on the dining table. “You’re just going to go ahead and send her that email, aren’t you?” she asked in exasperation as she took a seat in front of her. Masami hummed a yes. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Kazue was right; it wasn’t an easy beginning for Yuki. They had to train her on _everything_ about the handling and care of dragons. Despite the difficulties, Masami genuinely enjoyed Yuki’s company. She was a good balance between her own enthusiasm and Kazue’s lazy attitude.

Eventually a year had passed, and Yuki had decided to stay with the sanctuary permanently. On the second day of her first year with them, she moved into the empty room across Kazue’s. Masami had a huge house, so why not let the former accountant rent the room?

Jun and Satomi came a year later when two new dragons appeared and hadn’t wanted to leave. The three friends were having a difficult time keeping up with the care for the creatures and Masami realized she had to hire more help. Kazue was in charge of the hiring the second time around.

It was Satomi who approached the job first. Satomi had prior experience dealing with magical creatures from her previous position, and she was looking for a new job that would give her time to pursue her hobbies. Jun tagged along to make sure Satomi wasn't getting herself into some weird situation. Kazue had liked Satomi’s calm demeanour and kind personality and hired the woman on the spot. Jun came later—she visited Satomi a lot and sometimes helped with the tasks before Masami offered Jun a place in the team. She took it.

Jun wasn’t good with magical creatures like Satomi was, and she mainly stayed because Satomi had come to love the dragon sanctuary that the two best friends ran, and she enjoyed the quiet and relaxing environment of the sanctuary. That had been enough for her to quit her stressful job in the city and move to the small town near the mountains. And so, three women became five.

Masami honestly never felt luckier to have such wonderful ladies in her life. She loved them all, and she loved the dragons that they had made friends with. Despite the arguments or angry words that they had thrown at each other before, Masami knew she had made lasting bonds with them and it was all thanks to a green dragon. One green dragon that started it all, but was currently missing.

“Fumio!” Masami called out, looking around for her green friend. She walked over to the nest to see if she could spot a green dragon anywhere, but other than Nino and Sho-chan, the nest was empty. Nino grunted at her in greeting. Masami bent down to pet the golden dragon. “Do you know where he has gone off to, Nino? Where on earth has that dragon disappeared to?” Nino merely grunted again.

When she turned around to head back to Satomi, a large shadow loomed over her, and something big dropped down right in front of her face. Masami let out a shout of surprise and would have fallen over if not for Fumio’s tail grabbing her waist before she hit the ground. She heard Satomi’s laughter as she made her way over to them.

“Fumio!” Masami shouted, glaring at the dragon. The dragon wheezed, indicating that it was laughing at her. “Geez! You almost gave me a heart attack!” she whined and slapped the dragon lightly on its scales. Fumio unwrapped his body from Masami and stuck his tongue out at her. Masami placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t make me take away treat time.” She almost burst out laughing at the immediate sad face.

“Aw, Fumio was just having fun, right?” Satomi said, giggling as she finally made her way over to them. Fumio let out another wheeze before nodding at her. “See?” She sent Masami a grin.

Masami pouted at them. “You’re all against me.”

Satomi wrapped her arms around Masami’s waist and buried her face in her lover’s neck. “Aw, nooo!” She denied before pulling back and grabbing her hand. “Shall we go? Sammi is getting impatient.”

Masami turned to Fumio. “Do you want to go for a fly?” The dragon nodded and slithered its way over to the riding equipment, Sammi right on his tails.

“I will never get over the fact that they love flying with us so much,” Masami commented as she stared after them. Satomi smiled and bumped her hips lightly against her’s.

“I personally think they like each other. Why else would they also fly together _all_ the time?”

“You think so?” Masami asked as they started walking over to the excited dragons. Sammi and Fumio were grunting in dragonspeak… well Masami assumed so with the way they were looking at each other and making noises. “I always assumed Fumio had a crush on Nino.”

Satomi shook her head. “I thought so too, but Fumio and Sammi sleep together at night, did you know?”

“Really?” Masami gasped. “I never knew that!”

“That’s because they get up earlier than us most of the time. But I saw them once, when I was doing some art. It was really cute. They were wrapped around each other. Nino slept with Sho-chan and Marvel,” Satomi explained and grabbed her hand. “Let’s hurry! They look like they’re getting impatient.”

“They’re like little babies sometimes,” Masami whined and started running after her. Ahead, she could hear Satomi make a noise of agreement.

“Big whiny babies!” Satomi exclaimed.

 

“Okay, we can only be out for a few hours. Jun is cooking dinner tonight and she’s doing a new recipe,” Masami said as she climbed on Fumio’s back after putting the riding gear on him. Satomi nodded beside her, already seated on Sammi and holding on to the reins with two hands.

“We’ll be back, don’t worry,” she said sleepily. She tapped Sammi’s sides with her legs and the dragon lifted herself up in the air. Masami patted Fumio on the neck lightly and the green dragon followed after them.

“How far is this place?” Masami shouted over to Satomi when they were up in the air.

“Thirty minutes flight!” Satomi replied back loudly, turning her head back to Masami. “Just follow us!”

When they finally landed near the lake half an hour later, Masami’s hair was a mess. Satomi laughed as she helped her girlfriend fix her long brown locks with a comb she procured out of nowhere. Masami scowled as she detangled her hair. She had straight hair, but it got tangled way too easily. She wished she had cut her hair shoulder-length like Kazue’s, but Satomi had given her a very sad face when she had mentioned it.

“I wish I just went ahead and cut it!” She cried in frustration as she finally finished detangling the last few strands. Before them, the dragons were swimming in the lake. Sammi was thrashing about, trying to splash water on Fumio.

Satomi chuckled as she ran her fingers through Masami’s hair. Masami stared at the contrasting image their hair colours made. Satomi had long hair too, reaching down to her lower back, but it was in a more golden brown shade than her own dark brown. She thought it fit the Satomi very much—it matched her sun-kissed complexion.

“I would be sad. I love your long hair,” Satomi remarked.

Masami huffed. “It’s annoying when you have to work in the nest though.”

“I know, I have the same problem,” Satomi replied, and pressed her nose again Masami’s hair. Masami laughed and wrapped an arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders. “It smells good. Your hair always smells good.”

“Wouldn’t MatsuJun have me beat in that category?” Masami wondered as Satomi pressed herself against her.

“Jun-chan always smells expensive, but Masami-chan smells like sunshine,” came Satomi’s muffled reply.

“What does sunshine smell like?” Masami asked in amusement as she pulled the other woman on top of her lap. Satomi straddled her hips with her thighs and curled a lock of Masami’s hair around her finger, twirling it round and round.

“Hm. You.” Satomi leaned forward and captured her lips with her own.

Masami fell back and Satomi followed her down, not pulling away from her lips as she nibbled lightly on the her lips. Masami slipped her hands under Satomi’s shirt and caressed her soft stomach. She loved her tan skin, a perfect match to her own similar dark shade. Satomi broke the kiss and bit down on Masami’s ear before licking at the skin. She groaned as Satomi began to slowly roll her hips on top of her; what an image she made. If Masami had a dick, she would totally be hard right now.

“Ugh…” Masami groaned as Satomi slowly slipped her hands underneath her shirt to feel the rock hard abs that were hiding there.

“Want to have some fun?” Satomi whispered in her ear, her voice husky and dripping pure sex as continued to whisper sweet nothings in her girlfriend’s ear.

Masami knew it was a bad idea, but she couldn’t say no to that voice. And she definitely couldn’t say no to the things Satomi was promising she would do to her. Besides, they were in a very remote location, and there was no one around except for the two dragons who were playing in the lake, and paying no attention to their riders.

The four of them didn’t return until after dinner time, much to the annoyance of Jun.

IV.

So it wasn't Yuki, Kazue had told Masami a few days later, because Yuki had said she was dating a childhood friend from her hometown when Kazue had drilled her for answers.

“A boyfriend! Yuki-chan had a boyfriend all this time and we never knew about it!” Kazue complained as they made their way down to town. Masami didn't say how she already knew that their friend had a boyfriend. Kazue would end up being even angrier because Masami hadn't told her.

They both had the day off and Kazue had wanted to visit the game store to pick up a new game. That, and because Masami wanted to visit Satomi in town. It was Satomi’s turn today to sell the bottled dragon tears, and Masami hoped to catch her for lunch. As they made their way through the crowd, Kazue gave a shout of surprise.

“Look! It's Oh-chan and Toma!”

Masami looked over to where Kazue was pointing at. Satomi was wearing a blue sundress today and white flats. She was wearing her backpack that she used to carry the dragon tears to sell at the market. Masami thought she looked very cute. Satomi generally didn't wear makeup, but when she did, she opted for a simple look of eyeliner, mascara, and beige lipgloss that Jun had bought for her.

“Toma can't take his eyes off her! I knew he had a thing for her!” Kazue exclaimed as she pulled them to the side to watch.

“Huh?” Masami said. Toma liked Satomi? Kazue sent her an incredulous look.

“You didn't know?”

She shook her head and removed her ponytail to tie it back up again. “Nope. I've never really noticed. I’ve always thought he liked MatsuJun.”

Kazue snickered and they watched Toma show Satomi one of the fruits he was selling. Satomi was staring in fascination as he lugged out a big watermelon from the one of the boxes.

“Though, I don't think Oh-chan likes him back,” Kazue commented as Satomi placed her hand on the large watermelon, “she seems more fascinated with the fruit than the man selling it.”

Masami pursed her lips before turning to go. Kazue blinked at the unexpected reaction before running after her friend.

“Masami! Where are you going?”

“You wanted to go see the game shop right? There's no use standing here and watching them,” she replied, trying to keep her voice from sounding too weird. She wasn't jealous, not at all, but she felt frustrated for some reason. She didn't want to think about it.

Kazue shrugged. “It won't take too long. What's the hurry? There's no need to be jealous—”

“I'm not,” Masami immediately replied and shook her head. “But we have things to do, Kazue-chan, and I want to finish our errands first.”

Kazue sighed. “Alright, alright.”

Masami watched as her friend’s smaller frame walked down the street and followed. She turned her head back to see Satomi one last time, and saw that the she was already gone.

 

“You didn’t say hi to me today,” Satomi pouted as she slipped into Masami’s bedroom that night after everyone went to sleep. Masami rubbed her eyes and lifted the blankets to allow the older woman to slip in. She was almost on the verge of sleep but Satomi’s entrance was loud enough to distract her from it. She yawned and pulled the covers up over them.

“Hm?” She had no idea what Satomi was talking about. _Sleepy, sleepy, sleepy._

“At the market! I saw you and Kazue, and I know you saw me but you didn't say hi.” Satomi was sulking and wrapped her arm around Masami’s waist. “We could've had lunch together.”

“Oh.” Masami turned her head to look over at her. “You seemed busy so I didn't want to distract you.”

Satomi sent her a puzzled look. “Masami-chan, since when was selling dragon tears busy?” She was right, it wasn't. They usually sold it to the potions apothecaries and the stores bought them without question all the time.

Masami shrugged. “And I wanted to let Toma have his chance.”

“For what?”

The way she asked that was just too cute and Masami had to contain herself from jumping her on the spot.

“His crush. I wanted to give him a chance to talk to you.”

Masami thought it was funny to see Satomi’s sleepy face melt into one of pure horror and utter shock.

It reminded her of the time when she sprayed water on Fumio when he was sleeping. She had wanted to get him to bathe for weeks, and the stubborn dragon just wouldn't do it (teenage rebellion?), so she had done it out of desperation because the dragon was just really starting to smell and Nino kept snapping at him every time the emerald dragon approached him. With the help of Kazue, the two of them had managed to drag one of their garden hoses towards the nest when the unsuspecting dragon was napping. When they got everything in place, Masami had sprayed the dragon with a blast of cold water, waking up the dragon with a shriek. Thankfully, that little incident had taught Fumio a lesson and the dragon regularly went for his baths without prompting. But the face he had made when she sprayed him with the water was forever etched in her mind; it was hilarious.

“Eh? Wait. What?” Satomi spluttered. “He what?”

“He has a crush on you. I think it's cute.” Masami giggled and muffled her laughter with the pillow when Satomi let out a whine.

“Ahh… why would you say that? Now I can never look at him in the face the same way again!” She complained and buried her face in her shoulder.

Masami reached up and combed her hand through Satomi's hair. “Why?”

“I'll be too paranoid now!” Satomi remarked, leaning into her touch. “Now I'll just be overthinking my actions me everytime I go talk to him.”

“Just talk to him as you normally do.”

“But now I'll just keep thinking about him liking me!” She complained. “Why did you have to tell me?!”

Masami patted her head in apology. “How about I make it up to you?”

“How?” Satomi grumbled, curiosity seeping into her voice.

Masami smirked and slipped her free hand underneath the covers. She felt Satomi’s breath hitch when she placed her hand between her thighs.

“Let me show you.”

V.

“Do you think they dated once?”

“She has never said anything about him before, right?”

“He's an old mutual friend, but I have never seen any indication of them dating.”

Masami sighed as she eavesdropped on her three friends’ frantic whispering. She knew that there was no point in doubting her relationship with Satomi now, man or woman, but Masami couldn't help but wonder about their guest.

According to Jun, Machida was one of Satomi’s oldest friends. He had come to visit her at the sanctuary after being in Okinawa for the past several years as a dance instructor for the new arts academy. He was making his way to Kyoto for a conference and had decided to drop by. Masami watched as the two friends laughed at something Machida said.

Even though Masami knew that she had Satomi’s heart, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy when she looked at them.

Machida was just a little taller than Satomi, handsome, and had a swagger to him that she could definitely see many women find ‘attractive.’ Come to think of it, Masami didn't know much about her girlfriend’s exes. It was a topic they hadn't gotten a chance to discuss yet.

She tried to keep a straight face when she saw them head towards the house. An elbow poked her on the side and Masami turned to see Kazue looking at her in concern.

“I'm fine,” Masami said automatically. Really she was.

“Right…” Kazue said, but patted her friend on the shoulder. “I’m sure he’s just a friend. I actually think that Oh-chan—and I say, _think,_ so don’t get too excited— might like you.”

The irony of the situation was too funny for Masami and she bursted out laughing, capturing the attention of her friends and Satomi.

“What’s so funny?” Satomi asked with a grin as she walked over to them, Machida trailing right behind her with a curious expression on his face.

“Nothing!” Masami squeaked. She did not want Satomi to know what they were talking about. “Kazue just told me a funny joke!” Kazue sighed beside her.

“Who’s your friend, Satomi-chan?” Yuki asked curiously as she glanced at the stranger.

Masami watched as Satomi’s entire demeanour brightened and she grabbed her friend by the arm and pulled him right next to her.

“This is Shingo-kun, Machida Shingo! He’s one of my oldest friends. We knew each other since elementary school.”

“Nice to meet you,” Machida greeted, giving the ladies a bow. Everyone returned it, and Jun greeted him with a hug. Masami couldn’t help but notice how Satomi beamed when Machida met her own eyes. Did she want them to meet?

“Shingo-kun is just visiting for the day before he has to go to Kyoto,” Satomi explained.

“And I wanted to see the dragons,” he said with a nod. He turned to Masami. “Satomi-chan has told me a lot about you!”

“She has?” Masami wanted to slap Kazue behind her, who was trying to stifle her giggles.

Satomi grabbed Machida by the arm and tugged him away. “Shingo-kun, you can't stay too long right? Let me show you Sammi.”

Masami watched them go and she felt blood rush to her cheeks. Satomi talked about her to someone? Especially a really close friend? The possibilities of the things they talked about made her dizzy. Were they bad things? Good things?

“What was all that about?” Jun asked loudly as she looked at Masami. Masami shrugged.

“I have no idea.”

“Well, I guess I should go see our stocks. I think we’re running low on hay,” Yuki announced before turning around to head back to the house. Jun sighed and mumbled about having to go see if lunch was ready yet.

“You should go,” Kazue whispered as she elbowed her friend in the stomach.

“Go where?”

“Go and accompany the two best friends,” Kazue pointed towards the grounds.

“Kazue, I'm not going to spy on them.” She sent her friend a look of disappointment. Kazue rolled her eyes.

“Who said you have to spy on them? Just go and be with them. Answer some questions. Didn't Oh-chan say that Machida-san was interested in dragons, _and_ didn’t she talk about you? That's a sign, Maa-chan!”

“I don't know…” she said hesitantly.

“Just go!” Kazue barked and began pushing her friend towards the grounds. “Go now!”

“I don't want to interrupt their—”

“Aiba Masami, you better go now or I'll tell Oh-chan you have a big fat crush on her!” She hissed.

“Okay! Okay! Geez! You're so pushy!”Masami exclaimed, pushing her friends hands away.

“Just looking out for my best friend,” Kazue said cheekily. Masami rolled her eyes but gave her friend a smile.

“Thanks, Kazu-chan.”

“You'll be lost without me.” Kazue gave her an air kiss before walking back to the house.

Masami shook her head at her friend’s back in amusement before turning the other way towards the grounds.

Technically, the dragons had free roam of the sanctuary during the day, but Masami and Kazue had specifically put a gate around a large piece of land so the dragons could have some privacy. They slept and played in that area, and guests were able to visit them them behind the gates if they wished. The gates were _expensive_ , but they were able to afford it due to the money they made from dragon properties.

Most of their income came from the dragon tears and the fertilizer they sold on the market. They sold the manure everyday while the dragon tears were collected once or twice a week. Dragon tears were rare to come by, and Fumio was the one who usually supplied it for them. Only Masami was able to collect the dragon tears from their dragons—something Kazue had always been jealous about.

As Masami made her way over to the grounds, Marvelous (or Marvel, as everyone else but Jun called the dragon) flew over her. Masami watched the purple creature go with admiration. Marvel was a purple dragon with the strongest magical power among the dragons they had at the sanctuary. Masami had never seen the dragon display large amounts of magical power, but she could feel it in the air when the purple dragon used it. Jun had an affinity with their magical dragon, and eventually coined the name, Marvelous, to the magnificent creature.

When she reached the pair, Satomi was showing Machida the riding saddle she used for Sammi. Machida stared at them in fascination and began asking her questions about the riding experience.

Just as Masami was about to join them, she felt a poke in her side. Looking to her right, Sammi was nudging her with her snout, demanding to be petted. Masami laughed and placed her hand on top of the dragon’s snout and gave a little scratch. “How are you, Sammi?” Masami asked quietly as the the dragon let out small whines of pleasure.

When she turned back to the two friends, they were both watching her. Satomi was beaming at her while Machida stared at them in rapt fascination.

“You can touch them that easily?” He asked in awe as Masami and Satomi made their way over to them. Sammi refused to leave her side and stuck closely next to her. “That’s amazing!”

“Masami-chan is really good with them. They all love her,” Satomi said, a hint of pride in her tone. Masami blushed and shook her head.

“No, I don’t think so. They all have their favourites,” she denied.

“Maybe,” Satomi agreed, “but they all like you. It’s hard for me to care for Marvel sometimes. That dragon is really moody.”

“Marvel?” Machida asked in confusion. “I thought you said that was Sammi.”

“Marvel is a purple dragon. She flew by me just now,” Masami explained. “There’s five dragons currently residing in this sanctuary. The green one is Fumio, the gold one is Nino, this is Sammi,” she patted the dragon lightly on the head, “the purple one is Marvel, and our newest addition, Sho-chan.”

“Sho-chan? That’s a cute name!” Machida exclaimed.

“Sho-chan is a baby dragon,” Satomi told him, “he’s Yuki’s because he seems to like her the most.”

“How did you guys name them?” Machida stared as Sammi yawned and wrapped her tail around Masami’s legs. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

Masami patted the dragon lightly. “Sammi? Oh, no! They’re actually quite gentle. Sammi is a big teddy bear.”

“She likes cuddling with you,” Satomi agreed happily. She turned to her friend. “All the dragons are always like this with her. Jun-chan gets so jealous sometimes.”

Machida returned her grin. “I can imagine.”

The rest of the afternoon, Masami showed Machida the sanctuary. She explained to him the schedules they had for the dragons, the team’s work schedule, and the daily runnings of the sanctuary.

“So why did you open it, Aiba-san?” Machida asked when she had just finished giving him a long explanation of Sho’s arrival. “Why open a sanctuary?”

“I guess it’s because dragons are such nomadic creatures that I just wanted to give them a place they can call their own,” Masami replied with a shrug.

Dragons never lived in a single place for too long due to rival dragons and hunters. She had just wanted to open up a safe space for the dragons who didn’t want to deal with all that. Fumio had realized that all Masami wanted to do was provide for him a safe place to rest, and stuck with her after he was healed; he had become her friend. All the other dragons had their own reasons for staying, but Masami knew Fumio had stayed because he trusted her.

“I don’t know how you ended up here,” Machida teased Satomi. The woman grinned and punched him in the arm.

“I guess I found a place I could call my own too,” she said, directing her gaze at Masami and winked at her.

They spent the rest of the afternoon showing Machida how to feed the dragons, play with the dragons, grooming, and caring for the grounds. Masami had a lot of fun showing him around, with Satomi throwing in comments every now and then.

Eventually, the two friends had to part. Masami went with Satomi to say goodbye to her friend while the other girls had already said their farewells at the house. The three of them walked down to the entrance gates of the sanctuary.

Machida and Satomi exchanged their last words quietly and she hugged him, asking him to give her another call when he was in town. He nodded and then turned to Masami.

“Hey, Aiba-san, may I speak to you privately before I go?” Machida asked with a twinkle in his eyes, not unlike the one she had seen in Satomi’s before. Satomi looked at her friend in surprise and he waved her away. “Shoo! I have to talk to your girlfriend in private.”

“What?” She asked, stunned.

Machida rolled his eyes and gave her a light shove on the shoulder. “I'm not blind, Satomi-chan. I can see you two are dating.”

“Wow!” Masami exclaimed in surprise as she looked at Satomi with a laugh. “Even our friends didn't know that.”

“That's because they're not looking,” he said smugly and laughed at Satomi’s bewildered expression.

“Hmph. I should have known you would know,” Satomi said crossing her arms, but her tone suggested that she was happy he had guessed correctly. “Even Jun-chan didn't know.”

“Like I said, they're not looking properly!” Machida continued waving her off with a flick of his hand. “Now go, I need to speak to Aiba-san in private.”

“Why?” Satomi asked in confusion, furrowing her brow.

“Satomi-chan, I need to speak to Aiba-san.”

Satomi pouted but sighed in defeat. “Fine. But don't say anything mean. Masami-chan is too nice,” she said sternly at him before giving him one last hug and walking back to the house.

Machida shook his head at Masami, his grin still on his face as they watched Satomi’s retreating back.

“Is there something you needed, Machida-san?” Masami asked nervously when a brief silence fell over them. What would he want to talk to her about?

Machida smiled at her and raised his hands up in a truce gesture. “Please, don't be nervous!” He chuckled. He scratched his nose and said sheepishly, “Actually, I just wanted to say… thank you.”

“Eh? Why?” She asked in surprise.

“For being there for Satomi-chan. She goes through life by her own rules and pace, and I know that it's not that easy to keep up with sometimes. I know it can be frustrating at times,” Machida replied calmly, “I just want to thank you for accepting all that and loving her. I'm glad she has someone like you in her life.”

Masami was stunned. She had no idea that he had felt this way about her. And they had only met for a few hours!

As if he knew what she was thinking, he patted her on the arm. “Trust me, Aiba-san, I know that being with you makes her very happy.”

“How can you be so sure?” She asked meekly. It was one thing to hear it from Satomi herself, but it was a totally different beast hearing it from someone who was close to her, someone who probably got the whole truth about their relationship.

“I see it when she talks to you, and she talks about you _a lot_. She's very fond of you, and I just want you to know that your love has done a lot for her.”

Masami blushed and shook her head. “Ah, no…” There was no way she had that much of an impact in Satomi’s life…

“Did you know Satomi-chan hardly ever talked when we were younger?” Machida asked, crossing his arms across his chest and sent her an amused look.

“Isn't she just quiet?” Satomi was pretty quiet when she was around them. She did talk when she was with the four of them, but she didn't say much.

He nodded. “Yes, but she used to hardly talk. At all. When she made friends with Matsumoto-san, it got better, but she was still very quiet. I only started noticing how talkative she was when she started working here two years ago. She's still quiet when she's in a group, but when you speak to her one on one… she talks a lot more. ”

“Eh… I guess? I have noticed that she has gotten more talkative these days, compared to when we first met. But I just assumed she was just shy,” she remarked as she tried to remember her first few months with Satomi.

The older woman was definitely quiet. Masami had found the Satomi absolutely intriguing because she was so… different from the people she normally interacted with.

Satomi didn't talk much, but over the next several months they worked together, Masami found herself holding conversations with her more often. Sometimes Satomi even started them, often asking Masami how her day had been, and if she was hungry. Jun had been surprised with the change, but hadn't said much about it except that she was happy Satomi felt comfortable around Masami, Kazue, and Yuki. When she had heard about Satomi’s interest in the job at the sanctuary, she had been nervous about Satomi being able to make new friends.

Masami had always assumed Satomi talked a lot to her friends one on one. “So she talks more now when she speaks to people individually?”

Machida nodded. “Yes, definitely! She opens up easily to Matsumoto-san and I because we’ve known her longer, but I notice that she seems completely at ease when she talks to you, and you've known her for even less time than us.”

“Eh? Since when? I think she seems perfectly at ease when she talks to the others too!” Masami shook her head. That was ridiculous. Satomi looked completely relaxed around Kazue and Yuki. “And we’re dating. Wouldn't it make sense?

“Maybe,” he said, “but I have seen Satomi in her past relationships before, and she definitely didn't talk as much with her ex-lovers as she does with you.” Masami felt her cheeks warm at that. Machida sent her a big smile and patted the woman on the shoulder. “So, really, thank you.” He gave her a bow, which she immediately returned. “Well, I have to get going. Don’t be a stranger, Aiba-san! You’re a friend now!” He called out before walking out of the gates. Masami waved after him. She definitely made a new friend indeed.

 

“What did he say to you?” Satomi cornered her when she got back to the house. Masami shook her head.

“It’s a secret!” She replied, making a zipping motion across her lips.

Satomi pouted. “You’ve only known him for a day and you’re already sharing secrets with my friend.”

Masami patted her girlfriend on the head. “There, there. He didn’t say anything bad, if that’s what you were worried about.”

Satomi shook her head and gave Masami a lazy smile. “No, I didn’t think so.”

“Where are the others?” She removed her shoes and slipped on a pair of slippers Satomi set down for her. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. The girls are in the living room. Apparently a new idol group’s concert DVD just came out, and Yuki managed to get her hands on a copy in town.” They slowly made their way down the hall and the cries of of their friends’ rang through the air. “Jun is crazy about them.”

As if on cue, Jun had let out a loud noise of appreciation and declared that the member that shared her name was the best member. Masami almost bursted out laughing when she heard Kazue protest that statement loudly and the two women ended up arguing with each other over who the best member of the group was.

“You wouldn’t think that these women are all in their late twenties, eh?” Masami asked as she turned to Satomi who was grinning at their friends’ antics. In the background, they could hear Yuki trying to placate the both of them while Kazue and Jun’s voices grew even louder.

Satomi giggled and reached down and grabbed Masami’s hand, curling her own fingers around hers. “Not at all.” 

VI.

“Hurry up you guys, or we’ll miss the fireworks!” Jun hollered towards the house. The five friends were heading down to town for the late summer festival, and they were going to be _late._

Yuki stood beside her, rapidly fanning herself with her _uchiwa._ “It’s so hot,” Yuki grumbled.

Jun frowned at the older girl. “Is it? I think it’s okay right now.” She stuck her hand out and waved it a little in the air.

“I don’t like the heat,” Yuki complained as she wiped the sweat away from her neck with the sleeve of her yukata. “Why does it have to be so hot today?!”

“Guys!” Jun hollered again.

“We’re coming! Sheesh!” Kazue called out as she appeared from the doorway. She was wearing a light yellow yukata with musical notes decorating the main body. She had her hair tied in a high ponytail. Beside her, Satomi was wearing a dark blue yukata with waves of the sea woven on the sleeves and the bottom of it. She had pulled back her hair in a low ponytail.

“Where’s Masami-chan?” Jun asked when the two friends made their way to them.

“She’s locking up the gate,” Satomi mumbled and turned around to look for her.

“Sorry! Sorry! Sho-chan was being really clingy today!” Masami apologized as she ran up to her friends. Like the other four, she was wearing a dark green yukata that had leaves and flowers embroidered on it. She shoved the key to the gates of the sanctuary in her clutch before smiling at them, a little out of breath from running down the hill too fast. “Shall we go?”

Jun sighed and turned to walk down the winding path to town. Kazue snorted at the woman’s retreating back and hooked her arms around Yuki, who was still grumbling about the heat. Satomi turned to look up at Masami and grinned.

“Shall we go?” Satomi asked, offering her arm to the taller girl. Masami beamed back at her and slipped her arm around her girlfriend’s.

“Of course.”

Masami sighed happily as they made their way to town. It was not as hot (despite Yuki’s loud complaints) as yesterday night, and Masami was excited for the festival. Satomi sang a soft tune beside her and Masami listened as her girlfriend sang the high and low notes of the latest pop song with ease.

Ahead, Kazue had left a whining Yuki behind (“It's too hot for cuddles, Kazue-chan!”) to scamper over to Jun and hook her arm around hers. She shook her head in amusement. The smaller woman’s crush on their youngest was so obvious and she was entertained by their frequent bickering because it was so obvious that Jun liked Kazue back, even if Kazue had no idea.

“When do you think MatsuJun will tell Kazue she likes her back?” Masami asked Satomi as she watched their friends squabble about what they were going to do first when they reached town.

“Hm? What if Kazue-chan confesses first?” Satomi replied.

Masami snorted. “That will never happen.”

“Why?” Satomi asked in puzzlement.

“Because Kazue is too much of a chicken to actually make the first move. She can talk, but she would never take the first step,” she explained. Satomi nodded.

“Hmm… so I guess Jun has to be the one to do it then,” she remarked and looked back up at her. Masami grinned.

“Yep! So if MatsuJun talks to you about it, just tell her that Kazue will never make the first move.”

“But will Kazue accept Jun’s feelings?” Satomi asked worriedly.

“Oh definitely! Once Kazue realizes that Jun returns her feelings, she's definitely going to do something about it!” Masami said cheerfully. “Don't worry, she's not the type to lead someone on.”

Satomi nodded and gave her a small smile. “I didn't think so.”

Once they arrived in town, the five women debated on what they wanted to do first. Yuki wanted to go explore the food stalls, Satomi wanted to do goldfish scooping, Jun wanted to see some of the goods being sold that evening, Kazue wanted to hit the game shop to see if there were any discounts, and Masami didn't care.

Realizing that they all wanted to do different things, they decided to split and meet up for fireworks later. Masami tagged along with Satomi while Jun managed to drag Kazue with her. Yuki said she was just going to be at the food stalls, so if they wanted to find her she would be easy to locate.

Waving bye to their friends, Masami and Satomi headed in the opposite direction towards the game stalls.

“I want to catch you a goldfish,” Satomi said as she reached down between them for Masami’s hand. Masami squeezed it gently before allowing herself to be pulled toward the games booth.

They spent almost thirty minutes at the goldfish stand before Satomi was finally successful and caught her two. Satomi had proudly announced that these two fish were lovers and was adamant that Masami kept them together.

“What should we name them?” Masami asked as they began walking over the food stalls where Yuki was probably still eating her way through.

“Hmmm… what about Taka and Yuuji?” Satomi suggested as she poked at the fish in the plastic bag.

“Taka and Yuuji?” Masami asked as she watched the two fish swim around in the small plastic bag. She made a mental note to herself to buy a large fish bowl for them tomorrow. “Sounds cute!”

It didn’t take long for them to find Yuki. The woman was busy stuffing her face with takoyaki. “Yuki-chan!” Masami called as they walked over to her. Yuki waved at them, still chewing.

“Hi guys,” she greeted after she swallowed a mouthful of it. “Did you have fun?”

“Yep!” Masami said and held up her bag of fish. “Oh-chan caught two of them at once!”

“That’s great, Satomi-chan!” Yuki said to the older girl. She offered them her plate of takoyaki. “Want one?”

“Sure,” Satomi replied quietly and picked up a ball with her fingers, her eyes brightening with delight as she chewed.

“What time are fireworks?” Masami asked as Yuki finished the rest of the food. She waited in amusement for Yuki to finish chewing.

“I think it starts in twenty minutes,” Yuki said as she checked her phone. “We should find the other two.”

“That’ll take too long,” Masami remarked. “Why don’t you just send them a quick text and meet up with them somewhere?”

Yuki nodded and began typing on her phone. “Good idea, Masami-chan.”

Ten minutes later, the five friends gathered in front of the town gates. Kazue and Jun were beaming when they arrived, and Masami noticed they were holding hands. She pointed this out quietly to Satomi, and Satomi had given her a grin in response.

Yuki noticed too, and she wiggled her eyebrows at them. Jun blushed but didn't let go of Kazue’s hand.

“Well, this is interesting,” Yuki said as she grinned at them. “Is it cold today?”

“Shut up, Yuki-chan,” Kazue retorted, not unkindly, and she was grinning herself. “Our hands just found their way to each other, and who am I to deny their will?”

Satomi bursted out laughing while Jun groaned at Kazue’s cheesy comeback. Masami noticed that despite that, Jun had pulled her best friend even closer. She shared a quick look with Satomi before Yuki declared loudly that they need to go find a spot to view the fireworks.

“We need a good spot,” Kazue said as the five friends weaved their way through the crowd. They were making their way towards the area where the fireworks were, and there was a lot of people. To avoid getting separated, Jun suggested they all held hands. Satomi poked Masami in the arm and pointed at Kazue and Jun’s still joined hands. Even if they were expecting it, it was still really cute to see the two women show affection in public. Masami giggled and grabbed Satomi’s hand and tugged her after them.

“How close do we want to be?” Masami asked as she tried to balance her fish _and_ hold onto Satomi’s hand at the same time.

“I want to sit somewhere less crowded,” Satomi mumbled.

Jun nodded. “Yeah, that would be a good idea. I don't want to be near families.”

Kazue smirked. “J would make all the babies cry!” Jun sent her a glare and Kazue smirked as Jun threatened to not make her breakfast tomorrow.

Ignoring the new couple (were they together now?), Yuki went ahead of them to look for a spot. Masami kept an eye on her lest they get separated and after a few minutes, Yuki was waving and calling out to them. “I think here is good,” Yuki announced as she found a spot for the five of them in the middle of the hill. It was less crowded in this part of the area and more secluded.

“Good job, Yuki-chan!” Masami cheered as the five of them sat down on the grass. Masami placed the bag of fish carefully beside her, checking to make sure it wouldn’t fall over. Satomi sat on the other side of her and was already staring off into space.

Behind them, Yuki sat with Kazue and Jun and had a look of resignation on her face when Kazue remarked that she didn't want Yuki to feel lonely sitting by herself.

“Looks like they're having fun,” Masami remarked as she turned back to Satomi. Satomi smiled and leaned against her.

“Yuki-chan knows she's loved,” Satomi replied quietly. Masami nodded.

“Of course!”

“You're on the morning shift tomorrow, right?” Satomi asked sleepily as she shut her eyes.

“Yeah. I have to get the tears from Fumio too.”

“I'll see if I can switch with Kazue-chan.”

“Eh?”

“I want to take you somewhere nice for dinner tomorrow,” she explained as she snuggled against her. Masami grinned and wrapped her arm around Satomi’s waist.

“I would like that.”

“Hey lovebirds!” Kazue called out behind them, “The fireworks are going to start!”

As if on cue, the first few fireworks shot up and exploded into a burst of red. Masami gasped in delight as more fireworks flew up in the air, and soon the sky was decorated with sparks of colours. She felt Satomi reach for her hand and she gently squeezed it in return.

Masami continued to watch the show in awe until she felt a tug on her hand. Looking down, she noticed Satomi was staring at her with a serious expression on her face.

“Is everything okay?” Masami asked worriedly.

“Can I kiss you?” Satomi murmured as she stared at Masami’s lips.

“Huh?” She asked dumbly.

“Please?”

“Um… if that's what you want…” Masami felt her cheeks heating up as Satomi seemed to inch closer and closer.

Satomi shook her head. “But is that what you want?” She asked solemnly. “I want to know what you want.”

Masami beamed and squeezed the other woman’s hand. “I'm happy with whatever you will give me, Satomi-chan,” she replied honestly. And it was true, she would be happy with anything Satomi wanted to offer her. She could never get enough of Satomi’s hugs and kisses.

Satomi smiled and slowly let go of their joined hands to reach up and cradle Masami’s cheek in her hand. Masami felt her own hand wrap around the other woman’s waist before Satomi pulled her in for a tender kiss.

Masami felt like she was floating. She was kissing Satomi in front of all their friends, under the beautiful night sky and fireworks. _It's like a scene from a romance movie_ she thought as she felt Satomi deepened the kiss. Above them, the fireworks exploded in the air brighter than ever and she could hear their friends’ various shouts of surprise, confusion, and glee.

“You never told me!” Masami heard Kazue complain as Masami giggled into the kiss and allowed Satomi to swipe her tongue across her lips. She felt her girlfriend smile against her lips and Masami knew that whatever happened in the future, she and Satomi would make it because they had each other, their friends, and their dragons. Masami felt like she was on top of the world.

When they finally pulled apart, they were still holding onto each other. Masami wanted to kiss her again; she never wanted to stop kissing her.

Satomi smirked and said in a small whisper that was only meant for Masami’s ears, “I guess the secret’s out.”


End file.
